Chapter 306: Searching For A Culprit

Another month slipped quietly by. The time passed uneventfully, and there were no new disappearances or disturbances.

Life moved on, or at least, it pretended to.

Noah and Arlo continued their investigation in secret, but each lead turned to dust. They found no traces of demonic aura, and no suspicious mana readings.

No matter where they searched, it was as if Lady in Dark had vanished completely, erasing even the faintest echo of her existence.

That afternoon, the sun filtered softly through the tall glass panes of the office building as Noah made his way to Professor Cecilia’s office.

He knocked once, and her familiar voice answered, “Come in.”

She was seated behind her desk, documents spread across its surface, a cup of tea in hand. Her expression softened when she saw him. “Noah. It’s been a while since you dropped by.”

He nodded, taking a seat across from her. “I’ve been busy.”

“I can imagine,” she said lightly, setting her cup down. “So, tell me, how are you feeling? Still having trouble with your mana?”

Noah shook his head. “No. Whatever it was, it’s gone now. My mana feels normal again. I can cast without issue.”

Cecilia leaned back thoughtfully, crossing one leg over the other. “That’s good. But it’s still strange that it happened in the first place.”

“Yeah,” Noah admitted. “It wasn’t normal.”

“Good. I checked, and for symptoms like that,” Cecilia began, her tone shifting into the calm, analytical cadence she used when lecturing, “the most common causes are external.”

“Mana doesn’t just vanish on its own. Something must’ve been interfering with it, either siphoning or suppressing your core’s output.”

“External?” Noah frowned. “Like what?”

She gestured with her hand. “A personal enchantment, for example. Some enchantments are designed to slowly drain mana from their owner in order to function.”

“It could also have been an environmental factor, like a place that absorbs mana passively to power something.”

Noah’s brows drew together. “So you’re saying something around me could’ve been taking my mana?”

Cecilia nodded. “That’s my best gaze.”

He held up his hand, his spatial ring sitting on his finger. “Could it be this?”

Cecilia shook her head, already stretching her hand towards it. “Let’s check.”

She placed her palm over the ring, her eyes narrowing as she cast a spell over it. After a moment, she lowered her hand, frowning.

“No. The enchantment on this is clean. It’s functioning exactly as intended. There’s no siphoning mechanism, hidden or otherwise.”

“So it’s not the ring,” Noah murmured.

“No,” she confirmed. “Which means whatever it is, it’s not something you’re carrying.”

“You’ll have to check your environment. Start with your room, then your usual haunts. Basically anywhere you spend extended time. If there’s something drawing from your mana pool, it might be rooted there.”

Noah nodded slowly, filing that away. “I’ll look into it.”

Cecilia smiled faintly, resting her chin on one hand. “Good. I doubt it’s anything serious, but it’s worth being cautious. The academy’s seen stranger things than rogue enchantments.”

He gave a small chuckle. “That’s one way to put it.”

She laughed softly, waving him off. “Go on, then. I still have a pile of student essays waiting for me.”

Noah stood, inclining his head slightly. “Thanks, Professor.”

“Anytime,” she said. “Just try not to overwork yourself.”

He left the office, stepping out into the afternoon sun. As he walked down the steps, her words remained in his mind.

Something in his environment, siphoning mana.

He glanced at his ring again, then towards the distant dormitory buildings.

Maybe it was time to start checking.

Noah returned to his dorm room and shut the door behind him. The place was quiet, except for the distant sounds floating in from his window.

He stood for a moment, scanning the room. His eyes roved over the bed, then moved to the desk cluttered with books.

He rolled up his sleeves and started searching.

He moved the desk first, checking the corners if there was anything there. After all, he couldn’t discount the possibility that someone had sneaked inside and hid something in his room.

Fortunately, there was nothing there.

He opened drawers, upended boxes, and inspected the floor under the bed. Still nothing.

Of course, he also checked inside his spatial ring. It was clear, with the things inside it being as he’d put them in there. Uncorrupted.

Everything looked normal.

He frowned, crouching beside the window as light filtered through. If the problem wasn’t in his room, then where?

A knock sounded at the door.

“Noah?”

It was Arlo.

Noah sighed and opened the door. “What do you want?”

Arlo leaned against the frame, eyeing the chaos inside. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking that? Your room looks like it’s been raided.”

“I’m checking for something,” Noah said simply.

Arlo stepped in, looking around with mild amusement. “Checking for what? Treasure?”

“No,” Noah said. “Professor Cecilia thinks something external might’ve been siphoning my mana. I checked everything, but there’s nothing here.”

He paused, eyeing Arlo. “Maybe you could help.”

“Help?” Arlo repeated, intrigued. “How?”

“With your eyes,” Noah said. “If there’s any trace of hidden mana, you should be able to see it.”

Arlo shrugged. “All right.”

He nodded, walking deeper into the room.

He first flopped onto Noah’s bed, grinning as he tested his weight on it.

“You don’t have to do all that,” Noah said.

“Do you want my help or not?” Arlo grinned.

Noah sighed. “Carry on.”

And so, Arlo began scanning every surface. The walls, ceiling, and floor, examining even the faintest traces of mana left in the air.

After several minutes, he turned to Noah, shaking his head. “Nothing. You have nothing in your room that’ll really drain your mana.”

Noah frowned. “Then maybe it isn’t external.”

Arlo tilted his head. “You’re thinking internal?”

“Maybe,” Noah said. “Can you check?”

Arlo crossed his arms. “Not unless you drop your veil.”

Noah stiffened. “What?”

Arlo smirked faintly. “Whatever you’re using to hide your stats from me, it extends to your body. I can’t see anything through it. If you want me to look, you’ll have to lower it.”

Noah met his gaze, silent.

“Well?” Arlo said, folding his arms. “You trust me, don’t you?”

Noah didn’t answer right away. He turned slightly, eyes narrowing. Dropping the veil would expose too much.

His true race, his rank, and the full extent of his power. Even to Arlo, that was too dangerous.

“I’ll pass,” Noah said finally.

Arlo exhaled, shaking his head. “You really are a piece of work, you know that?”

“Yes, I know,” Noah said in a neutral tone.

Arlo’s tone softened, though the curiosity in his voice remained. “What’s so important that you have to hide it from me? We’ve fought side by side. You know I wouldn’t betray you.”

Noah looked at him for a long moment, his expression blank. It didn’t matter if Arlo would betray him or not. Because he knew a day would come… when they’d be fighting on opposite sides. And one of them would have to die.

So, he spoke. “Some things are better left unseen.”

Arlo sighed, muttering under his breath. “You and your secrets…”

Before Noah could respond, glass shattered.

The sound was sudden, with the window exploding inwards, shards scattering across the floor. A gust of cold wind rushed into the room.

Both of them turned instantly, mana flaring.

Someone had crashed through the window.

The figure moved too fast for the eye to track, becoming a blur of darkness that streaked through the broken window straight at them.

Noah reacted on instinct, stepping forward to intercept. His fist met the figure’s arm, the impact sending a crack through the room.

The intruder twisted in the air, cloak flaring, and came back around with a spinning kick aimed for Noah’s head.

Noah ducked under it, countering with an elbow to the ribs, his movements flowing into a Flash Step that blurred him out of range before the attacker could strike again.

Shadows fell over the room as three more cloaked figures dove in behind the first.

“Of course there’s more,” Arlo muttered, already raising his hand.

Ice surged at his fingertips, forming jagged spears that shot towards the intruders. They dodged with unnatural agility, but one was grazed, frost burning into its cloak.

Noah didn’t hesitate. Fire bloomed in his palm, and he hurled a Fireball across the room. It exploded in the air, filling the space with heat and smoke.

The cloaked figures stumbled back, shielding their faces from the burst.

Arlo’s next spell froze the smoke itself, turning the embers into glittering shards of ice that rained down on their enemies.

One of the attackers lunged at Noah through the haze. He twisted, catching the strike with his forearm and driving his knee into the figure’s gut. Flames ignited around his arm as he pushed them back with another blast of fire.

“Now!” he called.

Arlo’s hand shot forward, cold mist swirling around his wrist. Noah thrust out his own, fire and ice spiraling together in a violent storm of energy.

The two elements met in the air, the heat and frost colliding in a blinding burst that detonated through the room, hurling all four attackers backward.

They hit the walls and floor hard, cloaks torn and steam rising from the impact zone.

When the light faded, Noah and Arlo stood side by side amidst the wreckage, staring at their attackers.

Arlo grinned, glancing at Noah. “Guess they finally decided to show themselves.”

Noah smiled. “Yeah. The Puppeteer’s moving again.”

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